Herald
6 March 2010
Herald Reporter
Government will not stop teachers from receiving incentives from parents even though it is sometimes illegal because discontinuing them is tantamount to destroying the entire education sector, Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart told Parliament on Wednesday.
He said the sector was insufficiently funded, adding that the incentives had kept the teachers at work.
Responding to a question by Goromonzi House of Assembly Member, Cde Beatrice Nyamupinga (Zanu-PF), Minister Coltart said incentives could not be stopped at this time.
“The ministry of education was allocated US$240 million for teachers’ salaries, while US$36 million is to cater for other administrative issues; that is less than US$ 1 per child per month.
“There has been lawlessness in the education sector and demanding incentives, unless approved as levies, is illegal because it is extortion, but if incentives are to be scrapped off, I have no doubt there won’t be any classes because teachers will leave the profession.
“The incentives can only be done away with if Government improves civil servants salaries, that way we will have a basis for stopping them,” Minister Coltart said. He added that School Development Committees could raise levies to provide incentives, but emphasised that they were expected to follow laid down procedures.
“They should call for a meeting with parents and guardians and in that meeting if 50 percent of the attendants vote in favour for it to be forwarded to the permanent secretary, that is legal.”